


Because we are friends

by BlueTulips



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV), La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV) RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueTulips/pseuds/BlueTulips
Summary: The warm catch-up between Angel and Raquel when she was arrested and sitting that police van was very beautiful. He was so respectful and warm to her.I was eager to see if  he could visit her in the tent when Sierra and Tamayo was away.If Angel visited tired worn out Raquel  to uplift her mood a bit, so that she could continue fighting, that is the best gift he could give his friend.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Alberto Vicuña, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	Because we are friends

**Author's Note:**

> Angel and Raquel are friends are life. They have been together for 15 years, yet he doesn't know a lot about her past. Eventhough, he loved her , he did his best to help save her love from the cops. Because she is his friend....

_As the morning sun kissed her face, she flinched and turned to the other side to hide her face under his arms, only to notice he wasn’t there. As she opened half her eyes to find the clock, it was 8AM. Obviously, Sergio woke up before dawn and enjoyed solitude for a while until the Murillo matriarchy took over his day. It has been his ritual to go to the market early in the morning, get some fresh fruits and then wake her up gently with a kiss. Today was different. As she had the entire bed to herself, she used it to her advantage to stretch as much as she could and gently opened her eyes. Her nostrils were awake before as eyes, as she smelled something delicious coming from their kitchen in the middle of paradise, Palawan. The coffee brewing, sandwiches toasting convinced her to drag herself out of bed._

_"Raquel ?? Raquel? ", she heard her man call from the kitchen. No kiss today, she thought as she fully opened her eyes._

"Raquel, wake up", she shuddered as she opened her eyes and found herself looking at Angel's face. Her eyes confronted the reality. She had been resting between her cuffed hands, her back aching from sitting on that uncomfortable chair in the police tent and her bladder so full that it hurt her stomach. No way, She was going to pee in a bucket with no privacy in a room full of her ex-colleagues. With no food and sleep, she was surprised by the control she has on her body. But she can't hold on for too long. She knew she wasn't allowed to sleep in the tent, but at least they could have waited until her dream was over, She thought. Her perfect Palawan dream was disturbed by a worried friend, Angel. 

"I told you I will chase you down, didn't I ?", he stared with a joke to ease her mood, but soon realised she was in a lot of discomfort. "Are you okay ?" he added. 

"Sorry, Angel. I know.... I am not allowed to sleep..Sorry I was...", she finally spoke as she massaged her cuffed wrists and twisted her waist to ease her back. "I don't mean to get you into trouble. I will stay awake.. sorry", she apologised endlessly. 

"No No... I am sorry to wake you.. I came in early before Sierra and Tamayo to... well to speak to you.... help if in anyways I can... you look miserable", he worried holding a sandwich and a coffee in his hands. She could tell he was upset about his friend's condition and pissed at his colleagues for their treatment. But, she did not want him to get into trouble. 

"Angel, I am fine. Don't worry and Don't get into trouble for helping me", she comforted him. He almost got into trouble holding information about the hangar the last time, she did not want him to go through anymore troubles for her. He is probably concerned because he was in love with her and she did not want to take advantage of his compassion. 

"Well.. I am not going to release you from here. But I won't support this sadistic treatment", he quickly responded. 

"You should be allowed to eat... and be allowed to relieve yourself with dignity" he noticed the bucket near her was empty. She hadn't used the bathroom ever since she was captured. Sierra and Tamayo ate all their meals in front of her to be obvious about her deprivation. 

"Apparently, cons aren't allowed to have dignity, Angel", she scoffed.

He hurriedly moved towards her to unlock her cuffs. "What are you doing ?" she exclaimed as she looked around the tent

"There is a bathroom right around the corner, please don't be too late." he said with his eyes pointed at the bathroom.

She did not want to waste any more of the time granted to her. She quickly ran, emptied herself and splashed her face with some cold water. _Hallelujah, she thought_. She carefully exited the bathroom and returned back to her tent. 

"If it's alright would you give me a minute to stretch my back ?" she asked understanding it was a greedy request, but she wanted to spare her spine. 

"of course", he nodded after giving the tent a good scan. She immediately stretched her legs, shoulders and back. Goddamn, that felt good. She could feel blood flowing down her numb legs and warming her up a bit and she has never been more thankful. 

As she sat down, Angel handed her a sandwich and coffee and commanded "Eat". With no further questions asked she gobbled the sandwich and drank her coffee. Angel couldn't help but notice how her face slowly started to brighten up. She has been starving for 48 hours, resisting Sierra, protective her love and her band.

"Angel, I do not know how to thank you" she spoke after the caffeine started to kick in her system. 

"You would have done the same for me." he smiled at her and gently patted her head. "Although, if you were the inspector in charge, no-one would have been ill-treated" he added. 

She gently smiled and wanted to thank him more, but he wasn't done talking. "You know there are things that happen in here that is not legal or humane, and people get away with it because they have the authority. They are protected by the system. I feel so helpless unable to fight them back. 15 years I was working by your side and I have never been questioned by my conscience. In the last few days with these devils, I am unable to look at myself in the mirror or come into work anymore. I miss you, Murillo. Actually, a handful of his in the tent feel the same way."

"First you let me pee, gave me food .. and now the flattery. To what do I owe this pleasure , Rubio ? " she chuckled astonished by his generosity. 

"All I am saying is, your little love tale has been inconvenient to a lot of your ex-colleagues and friends, especially me." he stated as a matter of fact. Watching her face shift to a slight guilt, he continued, "Well.. I hope your paradise was worth it, because you could be stuck with that red-headed bitch for a while", hoping to add comfort to her wounds and it worked. She smiled again and that's all he wanted to see. 

"It was" she responded dreamily still unsure if she could give him more details about her presumed perfect life. 

"I am sorry my decision has made some of you suffer. I did not mean to take you down with me. I just wanted to stop living in pain and escape my agony", she responded as a little tear drop escaped her eye. 

"is this all you wanted ?" he asked curiously looking at how it all ended for her. She took that as a sign that he wanted to know more. She was not obligated to explain herself. But she did it anyway, because it was Angel.

  
"I never realised what I wanted until I started needing it. Now that I have it, I only regret not acknowledging it soon enough, not believing that I deserve better and allowing people like Alberto and Prieto abuse their power." she added massaging her wrists

While Angel still looked confused she decided to add more. 

"Alberto got away with years of physical abuse and emotional abuse. Prito and his sexist comments.. I mean, he had the nerve to talk about my mensuration, hormones and divorce in front of all of you. They all just got away because of the authority given to them. The power given by the constitution suddenly differentiates them from the "bad" guys. The dilemma between what I thought was good and bad started then.. ", she poured out fiddling with her fingers. 

"Yea Prieto is an asshole. And I don't want to talk about Vicuña. I wish I had helped you out. I was right next to you throughout all these and I never did anything. I don't think I am pissed at you, I only feel guilty about not being there", he reached out to her hand unable to look into her eyes. He hated himself for failing as a friend. He felt responsible for not holding her when she needed him the most. Instead he only made it worse for asking her out on dates. He let that guilt sink in and this is his second chance to hear her out.

  
"How could you have known? I hid it perfectly. You spent so many years by my side and never knew I had a bruise on my face. It called "make-up", Angel", She pressed her lips from saying more. She is emotionally drained, not to mention about her physical strain. She wasn't sure if she is just ranting or if he is actually wants to hear all of this. Nevertheless, she doesn't want him to regret bringing a sandwich to her and secretly hoped for more such visits. _Don't chase him away, Raquel_

"I should have been there for you, as a friend.", he refused to give up on the conversation. It has been killing him since the day she left without saying a proper goodbye. 

  
"Well, I wouldn't have wanted you to know. It wouldn't have been the same between us if you knew", she said hoping to ease his guilt-stricken face.

  
"We have time until those vultures come to work, try me" he demanded.

"Okay .. then.. you asked.. don't blame me for the consequences" she disclaimed. 

"One day, When Alberto and I were casually talking about past relationships. I mentioned what happened between us. I think a couple of months later, you apparently boasted to him about the Polo Pasta that I liked our academy cafeteria and that we went there often. Later that evening I happened to make Polo Pasta at home. That night, I got kicked and slapped."

Angel looked terrified. He couldn't help to feel miserable for being the reason behind one of her many bruises. 

"Then ... The day Suaraz invited us to his anniversary party. I cautiously stayed away from you in front of my husband. That evening, I still got slapped because I was, in his words, "flirting" with Suaraz", she watched him rub his face with his palms in despair almost not wanting to look her in the eye. 

After giving him a minute to process, she began "The next week I got promoted to inspectora, there was a party that evening...". 

"I remember Paula got sick and you didn't show up the party." he recalled and unprepared for what was going to hit him next. 

"Well, Paula was fine. I was just saving myself from another punch. I mean, I was already bruised badly after Suaraz's party." she corrected his understanding. 

"All those days I refused to sit down in a chair because I did not want to sit, was actually because my torso was bruised and I couldn't sit in a low-levelled chair". she confessed. She was surprised how she, no more, felt ashamed of it. 

"I never had _evidences_ for any of these. However, one fine day I was admitted for a rib fracture surgery.. " she continued as she watched his eyebrows so high in shock.

To save him from the trouble of asking more she volunteered with details. ".. that was when I told you all I was on vacation in Italy. By Italy I meant the local state hospital ". 

"for fuck sakes, Raquel", he sighed. His mind is in an unbelievable state of shock. There is no way he was going to recover from his painful truth.

"I finally had medical evidence for abuse. But, as fate unrolled, Alberto proved that it was a "domestic" accident in court. I fell down the stairs after having a low-blood pressure incident he claimed." she said and curled her lips and admitted her only, yet, failed attempt.  
  
Angel's eyes looked like a hurt puppy, which was sweet and tender. But, this is what Raquel was trying to avoid all these years. By putting out a perfect disguise and alibi, she retained all the respect she could get from her male dominant career. "This is why I did not tell you before. You are drowning yourself in sympathy for me. Now, I only told you about the physical abuse. I left out the emotional and sexual abuse part. But, look at your face right now. I want my deputy inspector to look at me with respect and not like I am a broken Barbie". 

"Raquel, you know Alberto is going to search your Ambulance for evidences, no ?" he asked panicking. 

"Yea, I am screwed. I know and I am very scared, Angel" she teared up and rested her head on his shoulders for a bit. Talking her past life was exhausting and her current state isnt any easier. A dream about Palawan and Sergio was medicine to her wounds. 

  
"I am very scared for you too", he sighed and gentle tapped her head. Nothing he says would make it better for her. He quietly sat there and let her rest on his shoulders for a bit longer, carrying her burden as long as she wanted. She quickly raised her head wiped her face. He handed her some water and a fruit while she recovered.

"So, who are you dating now ?", she changed topics to a more happier one. 

"Really ! you went from the most depressing conversation to my love life ? " he looked at her surprised how she could find light even in the most darkest of times.   
  
"I am going to be sitting here for a long time. If you want me find a nice cop for you, I could do that. That would cheer me up between Alicia's interrogation and threats", she winked. 

"Thank you, But I am dating someone" he blushed shyly. 

"Ahhhhh... WHOO ? SPILL!! I opened up so much. Now its your turn" she persuaded him trying to get more details. 

"Well, Her name is Tara, she is a general physician. We met at our car service garage. The guy was trying to give her a high-prices quote to fix her car, I helped her with a good bargain."

"of course, you did", she chuckled very aware of Angel's kindness. 

"She is a single mother of two amazing kids. Her husband passed away long time ago. She stayed strong and focussed for her kids", he spoke with so much respect and pride for her. Angel has always respected and admired strong women - one thing Sergio and Angel both had in common. Their love for Raquel was indeed for her strength. She was very glad he found himself a wonder-woman.

"That's quite a story, Angel. I am very happy for you", she said with happy tears leaving her eyes. 

"She is currently living with me. I was honest with her about Mari Carmen and you. She knows that we are still great friends, if I may think of us like that" he added.

"Absolutely. ", she smiled assuringly. 

"Your man would think differently. I noticed how he interrupted our re-union over phone and started talking to Tamayo" he mocked. 

"Ah , don't worry about him. He can handle his emotions well. At least, he knows not to push his insecurities on me." she said defensively. 

"I fought with him for planting a bug in your glasses and causing a fight between us, by the way" she admitted. 

"Really ?? " he asked in almost disbelief. Only Almost, because, a part of him trusted Raquel Murillo to defend anything that came in between their friendship. Perhaps, she is just the same person after-all. She works for their opponent, but that doesn't change her personally. 

"Of course. A dramatic all night fight. He finally surrendered and told me he will buy you a drink when he meets you, a cider probably" she said proudly with wide eyes and laughed. 

He couldn't be more relieved that she is still the same with him. After all their fights and misunderstandings, she still values their friendship. That meant a lot to him. 

After a long pause and gazing at each other, "I really missed you. When Mari-Carmen left ..." he began. Only after he finished saying it , he understood how that could be misinterpreted. She responded with a slight shade of confusion on her face.

"No...., I mean, I missed having a friend to talk about what was happening. Or have lunch, coffee to take my mind off things. Sometimes even legal advice, since you have already been through the process." he cleared her doubts and immediately noticed her face clearing up. 

  
" ..I am sorry for not being there, Angel. I should have told you when I was leaving. But, I wasn't sure if it was safe. Plus, I can't ask you to lie for me once again. I mean you already helped by not telling them about the hangar. I can't ask you to do that again" she said with gratitude and reached out to his hands.

"Ah, I am sure the professor would have a back-up plan for such mishaps too" he held her hands with assurance that brought back a giggle on her face. All he needed was to see her smile when the world was crumbling down around her. He can't fix it but he made sure he did not add on to her burden.

  
"How are things in paradise anyway? I don't want to know where you live, incase you are worried" he asked hoping to bring more happy memories and a wider smile. 

"As I said on phone, it is a million times better than my previous life. Sergio... umm.. the professor, it's so weird to use his name in front of cops....", she chuckled with a tone of uncertainty trying to figure out of how to refer him in a conversation. 

"So, yes, he gets along with Paula very well. Paula is very keen and he has a lot of interesting facts." she rolled her eyebrows after stating the obvious about the professor's knowledge.

"of course he does..", he reciprocated with a bigger eye roll, but keeping an open-mind to understand her partner apart from being the criminal he knows.

"They build their own tree houses, bird shelter and she runs to him for every nightmare or math tests. They have this ritual where he has to check every cupboard for monsters every night before she is tucked into bed. And she only trusts him to do it. She only needed me until she got along with Sergio. Now, unless its food or fever, Sergio is her go-to person for everything. Almost every Sunday, they burn the house down in the name of cooking breakfast. I wake up terrified of the mess and smoke. " she laughed so hard picturing all these memories.

"For god sakes..." he laughed along. Knowing Paula since she was born, Angel is aware of the energy the kid carries. Not to mention, the kid's curiosity that is deeper than her mother. 

  
"But, they get along very well. Most importantly, she sees how happy and peaceful I am and she respects Sergio for that.", she nodded recalling a fun memory of them trying to flip a pancake without a spatula. 

"You said Tara has two boys, no ? How is it going with them ?" she asked.

"They are amazing. The oldest one, Gael, is around Paula's age. He is quite matured and loves sports. We go to the park almost every day after work. Mostly, I am the one learning from him. These kids have so many fun games that they play on TV. It is so cool. " he responded awestruck by his newly acquired knowledge. 

"The little one, Rafael, is four years old. He is still Mumma's boy. She spoils him so much. So, we have two gangs in the house Gael and I, and the other two.", he laughed probably thinking of a gang hurdle that happened at home. 

"But overall, I cannot complain. My boys keep me occupied. No matter how hard work is, I cannot wait to go home to them" , he added with an underplayed gratification in his voice. He tried not to sound too happy. After-all he was going home to his family in a couple of hours, but she still has a long journey ahead. The last thing he wanted was to remind her of that. 

Raquel couldn't help but notice yet another similarity between Sergio and Angel. They both fell proudly in love with a strong woman, and fatherhood was a consequence of their love. It is amazing how they both, not only, accepted it with wide arms, but also, thrive to be better at it.   
  
"How is Marivi ?", he quickly shifted the spotlight back to her. 

"Ah Mamma always liked "Salva" as a person. So when I told her who he really was, she did not care. As long it's the same guy at heart. They spend a lot of time during their walks, crafts etc. She even teaches him how to cook and already shared all the family recipes. She never did that with Alberto. Hell, Alberto wouldn't stay in the same room as her. Sergio puts a lot of effort for the family. She forgets his name a lot, he patiently reminds her every time." she responded with a small tear trying to escape her eye. Imagining her perfect man and her paradise was both soothing and painful. 

"I really wish I could invite you home for a nice lunch. In another world, you both would have been great friends", she added as she rubbed her eyes to deny freedom to her tears.

"Yea I wish for the same too. Let's see, you will never know what the future holds. What about you ? How do you feel ?" he asked. He couldn't help but notice how she only talk about how her family is happy with her new found love. 

"Me? Let's just say we both complete each other like a perfect Sunday puzzle. It is challenging, but I would rather not go home to anyone else." She kept it simple respecting Angel's past feelings for her.   
Although, She was looking at him, her mind was certainly elsewhere, he could tell. After a couple of seconds of slow nodding, she continued her conversation,"Angel, I don't have great opnions on him.." 

"No No .. It's not like th..." he corrected.

"Oh Please!.. I have spent enough time with you to know what runs in your potato head " she teased.

"Fine... Go on" he smirked. 

"..he is very quiet, shy and very respectful. It's like the fresh morning breeze - untouched, kind, tender yet has a very powerful impact on you. A devoted boyfriend, although I am pretty sure he refers to me as his wife. Constantly making an effort to be a good father and son-in-law. Most importantly, he respects my space, my opinions and ideologies. I have a voice when I am around him. I never felt that previously at work or home. " she sighed. He had a tender smile on his face waiting for her to complete. 

  
"With Alberto, I used to rush home by 7PM to avoid pissing him off or worse getting beaten up. I avoided all my friends, social life and wore clothes of his liking etc. But now.... now, I rush home, because I want to be with my family in this beautiful home that he built for us. I party hard, drink, sing, dance with all my friends.. well, rather his friends.. the band to be specific. But, that doesn't scare me anymore. I feel loved, protected, but not controlled. And I feel so alive, fresh and free." she said with her eyes filled with tears that she can't stop anymore. All she cared about was to find a way to inform Sergio that she is alive. She couldn't stop thinking if he was beating himself up, mourning and messing the plan.

  
Raquel continued to let her tears free, her eyes yearned for his face. She could not forget what he told him in their last fight- _You have already fucked up my life._ He only made her life worth living and loved her more than she thought she deserved. The guilt was taking over her. She could not wait to jump into her arms and make love like there is no tomorrow. But none of those thoughts now, she told herself. She needed to protect the professor's plan and honour his trust. She gathered herself wiped her face and looked back at Angel. He was simply watched her collect her thoughts and gave her a kind smile. He was also relieved to hear her side of the story. He never thought of her as a traitor, but he thought it was reckless to throw her life away. But now, he encouraged himself to think from her shoes. She could be in a bad situation now, but he respects her friend's decision and asked no more. 

Who is this woman in front of him ? She laughs from her heart and tears from deep inside. Angel knew a composed and armoured Raquel, but the woman he is witnessing has let her guard down because, she, probably, no longer needs that shield. She doesn't feel threatened by her vulnerability because she witnessed the strength in it. And Sergio worked that magic on her, although he would never admit it out loud in front of her.

  
"Oh, I really miss his stupid face." she broke the silence. They chuckled together. 

After patiently waiting for her cry and wipe her face, he expressed his long lasting concern. "Be careful with Alicia, okay ? I am very worried for you.."

"Yea I know what she did with Rio. Heartless Bitch. I will be fine. Don't worry , Angel"

They both nodded in agreement. Angel sensed movements outside the tent and looked alarmed. 

"Raquel, I think they are going to come back in. Do you want anything else ?" he asked.

"This is more than what I wanted. I really appreciate all you did and thank you for listening to my ranting, Don pimpon!! " she smiled and couldn't thank him enough.

"I got your back, inspectora... Always.." he chuckled.

She stretched her hands for one last time and presented her wrists for him to cuff her back. He was hurt on seeing a band of dark blue bruise around her wrist, probably caused by harsh cuffing and dragging her around. 

"It really hurts me to do this, Raquel. Your hands are already bruised" he resented the inevitable action while gently latching the cuffs.

"I know. But I am going to think about our nice chat and I am sure it will hurt less. And hey, say hello to Tara for me", she comforted him. They both exchanged one last smile as he walked out. She kept looking at him, until he went out of sight. 

Even after their big argument in the Royal mind heist, calling him a traitor, indirectly causing an accident that almost ended his life and leaving without a goodbye, he still came back. Beecause they are friends. 

Doesn't matter if they both stood on the opposite ends of the moral line, their friendship would cross any distance to keep them together. Because they were and will always be good friends. 

If he had the power to release her off her misery and return her back to the happy life that she couldn't stop talking about, he certainly will. He would not allow any stolen gold, cash or even the law to stand between him and his friend's happiness. But, unfortunately, he cannot put an end to her crisis, so he did all he could to comfort her just a little bit, so that she could continue to fight - fight which he, although won't admit, wants her to win, because they are partners and friends for life. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post in this community. I really appreciate you reading and please drop your comments. I would love to learn from all your constructive feedback. Please follow @lcdp_whatifs on Insta :) thank you for all the love and support!


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